David Gard/New Jersey Local News ServiceConstruction on the Route 27 bridge in Metuchen -- near the busy Edison border -- has been completed. The bridge reopened this afternoon.

METUCHEN -- Motorists — and business owners — in Metuchen can finally rejoice.

The Route 27 bridge, which unexpectedly closed for repairs in April, re-opened today after five months of traffic backups and slow businesses in the tiny borough.

“For businesses and people who live here, it’s huge,” Metuchen Council President Peter Cammarano said. “It won’t take them a half hour to get here anymore.”

The aging bridge over the Conrail tracks has been undergoing a $9 million reconstruction project for more than a year. Originally, the state Department of
Transportation planned to do the work without closing it.

But in April, DOT officials said, workers discovered a structural crack that was causing the bridge to shift. The bridge was shut as a safety precaution, DOT spokesman Tim Greeley said.

Route 27 is a main thoroughfare through Metuchen and its bustling downtown district. About 1,000 cars drive over the bridge per hour during peak travel hours.

Thus, in addition to traffic detours, business dropped anywhere from 20 to 40 percent around the borough, said David Glasofer, president of Metuchen’s Chamber of Commerce.

The closure, however, allowed the DOT to speed up construction and the bridge reopened nine months ahead of schedule, Greeley said.

“The new bridge has been designed and built to provide decades of safe travel for motorists and pedestrians alike,” DOT commissioner James Simpson said. “It’s great news for residents, businesses and motorists that we are completing the project well ahead of schedule, and we thank everyone who adapted to the necessary detours over the past five months.”

Both lanes of traffic on the bridge are re-opening. One of two pedestrian/bicycle lanes will open Saturday.

The shoulders and the other pedestrian lane will remain closed for about a week to allow concrete to dry, DOT officials said. Those portions of the bridge will be opened on or about next Friday, officials said.